Arizona gubernatorial election, 1974

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Arizona gubernatorial election, 1974
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←  1970 November 5, 1974 1978  →

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Nominee Raúl Héctor Castro Russell Williams
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote278,375273,674
Percentage50.4%49.6%
Governor before election

Jack Williams
Republican

Elected Governor

Raúl Héctor Castro
Democratic

The 1974 Arizona gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 1974. Incumbent Governor Jack Williams decided not to run for a fourth term as governor. Former United States Ambassador to Bolivia Raúl Héctor Castro, who was the Democratic nominee in 1970, won the Democratic nomination again in 1974, and narrowly won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Russell Williams by 0.85%. Castro was sworn into his first and only term as governor on January 6, 1975.

Jack Williams (American politician) American radio announcer and politician

John Richard "Jack" Williams was an American radio announcer and politician. After gaining public recognition throughout Arizona because of his work in radio, he went on to become a two-term Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona and a three-term governor of Arizona. A constitutional amendment, approved by Arizona voters in 1968, resulted in Williams serving eight years as governor and being the first governor of Arizona to serve a four-year term.

Raúl Héctor Castro American judge

Raúl Héctor Castro was a Mexican American politician, diplomat and judge. In 1964, Castro was selected to be U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, a position he held until 1968 when he was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia. In 1974, Castro was elected to serve as the 14th governor of Arizona, and resigned two years into his term to become U.S. Ambassador to Argentina. Prior to his entry into public service, Castro was a lawyer and a judge for Pima County, Arizona. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Contents

Prior to the election, there was a recall effort led by Cesar Chavez against incumbent Governor Jack Williams, with 180,000 signatures submitted. Many of the signatures were invalidated by the Attorney General Gary Nelson, but this eventually overturned. By the time this occurred, however, it was meaningless due to the close proximity of the 1974 gubernatorial election, and thus a recall election did not occur. [1]

Cesar Chavez American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist

Cesar Chavez was an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962. Originally a Mexican American farm worker, Chavez became the best known Latino American civil rights activist, and was strongly promoted by the American labor movement, which was eager to enroll Hispanic members. His public-relations approach to unionism and aggressive but nonviolent tactics made the farm workers' struggle a moral cause with nationwide support. By the late 1970s, his tactics had forced growers to recognize the UFW as the bargaining agent for 50,000 field workers in California and Florida.

Approximately two years into his term as governor, Castro would resign to become United States Ambassador to Argentina.

Republican primary

Candidates

The Arizona Corporation Commission is the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Arizona, established by Article 15 of the Arizona Constitution. Arizona is one of only fourteen states with elected commissioners. The Arizona constitution explicitly calls for an elected commission, as opposed to a governor-appointed commission, which is the standard in most states, because its drafters feared that governors would appoint industry-friendly officials. They are directly elected statewide and serve staggered four-year terms.

Evan Mecham American politician and businessman

Evan Mecham was an American businessman and the 17th governor of Arizona, serving from January 5, 1987, until his impeachment conviction on April 4, 1988. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham was a successful automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher. Periodic runs for political office earned him a reputation as a perennial candidate along with the nickname of "The Harold Stassen of Arizona" before he was elected governor, under the Republican banner. As governor, Mecham was plagued by controversy and became the first U.S. governor to simultaneously face removal from office through impeachment, a scheduled recall election, and a felony indictment. He was the first Arizona governor to be impeached.

John Douglas Driggs was an American politician. He served as mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1970 to 1974. He was an alumnus of Stanford University, where he earned a MBA degree. He then worked for Western Savings.

Results

Republican primary results [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Russell Williams53,13235.57%
Republican Evan Mecham30,26620.26%
Republican William C. Jacquin27,13818.17%
Republican John D. Driggs23,51915.75%
Republican Milton H. Graham15,31510.25%
Total votes149,370100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Norman "Jack" Ross was an Arizona car dealer, philanthropist and politician who twice sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Arizona. He was the husband of movie star Acquanetta.

Results

Democratic primary results [3]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Raúl Héctor Castro115,26867.21%
Democratic Jack Ross31,25018.22%
Democratic Dave Moss19,14311.16%
Democratic Walter "Denver" Caudill5,8433.41%
Total votes171,504100.00

General election

Results

Arizona gubernatorial election, 1974 [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±
Democratic Raúl Héctor Castro 278,375 50.41%
Republican Russell Williams273,67449.56%
Independent Russell Shaw (write-in)1490.03%
Independent Harold Bates (write-in)40.00%
Majority4,7010.85%
Turnout 552,202
Democratic gain from Republican Swing

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References

  1. ↑ http://archive.azcentral.com/news/opinions/columns/articles/0515deUriarte15.html
  2. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=242077
  3. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=349770
  4. ↑ http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=110186
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